Bagmaking method and apparatus



2 Jan 26, 1954 B. c. GOLDEN 2,667,132

BAGMAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Dec. 27, 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Jan. 26, 1954 B. c. GOLDEN BAGMAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1949 Jan. 26, 1954 B. c. GOLDEN 2,567,132

BAGMAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed D90- 27, 1949i 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 J4 I N VEN TOR.

BY WW,

Jan. 26, 1954 c, GOLDEN 2,667,132

BAGMAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Dec. 27, 1949 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 I l l I I I 4 I l I I: I L

8 M INVENTOR.

Jan. 26, 1954 c, GQLDEN 2,667,132

BAGMAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Dec. 27, 1949 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

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Jan. 26, 1954 B. c. GOLDEN 2,667,132

BAGMAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Dec. 27, 1949 "7 Sheets-Sheet 7 IN VEN TOR.

fiaz 50% BY W W/w Patented Jan. 26, 1954 2,667,132. BAGMAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Bertie 0. Golden, Richmond, Va., assignor to Millhiser Bag Company, Inc., Richmond, Va.,

a corporation of Virginia Application December 27, 1949, Serial No. 135,125

11 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in bag making method and apparatus, and particularly to the making of tobacco bags and the like, which bags are customarily produced in chain formation and in accordance with present practice delivered either directly or indirectly to a bag stringing machine where successive bags of the series are cut from the chain of bags and drawstrings applied to the hemmed mouth portions of each successive bag. The bags may be reversed either before or after stringing, preferably such reversal is carried out prior to the stringing operation, as set forth in my Patent No. 2,296,783, dated September 22, 1942, and in various improvements thereon covered by applications now pending,

At one time it was the practice to string tobacco bags by hand, and in such case the particular location of the bag hems was more or less immaterial, but where machine stringing is resorted to, as is the practice today, it becomes a matter of great importance to accurately control the location of the hems at opposite mouth portions of the bag with reference to each other in order that such hems may be accurately engaged by the pair of stringing needles with which the stringing machine is customarily equipped, such stringing needles being included in the machine disclosed in my Patent No. 2,296,783. Where the location of the bag hems is not accurately controlled many of the bags of a series will be improperly strung or not strung at all and must be discarded, resulting in substantial loss. Accurate control of the positioning of the bag hems to correspond with the positioning of the stringing needles becomes of particular importance where it is desired to operate the making machine in synchronism with the bag stringing machine.

In the making of bags it is common practice to draw the material for making a series of bags from a continuous roll of fabric, and to turn the edges of the material inward toward each other, locating them upon the body of the strip, after which the folded over portions are stitched to form hems. The material is then folded in half with the two hem portions outward, after which the material is severed into successive bag forming blanks the edges of which are then sewed or stitched to form a series of bags which come from the bag forming machine at spaced intervals but generally stitched together in chain formation.

An early machine for performing these operations is shown in Lowe Patent No. 416,474, dated present invention to provide means whereby the location of such hemmed mouth portions. may be accurately controlled.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention a pair of rigid guide members in the form of parallel rods are provided for the hemmed portions of the bag making material which come into operation after the web of ba making material has been folded but before the same has been cut into individual bag blanks prior to stitching the same lengthwise in chain formation. By properly locating these elongated guide members I have found that the proper location of the hemmed bag mouth portions in the completed bags is insured, and the loss in stringing due to defective bags is reduced to a minimum.

These guide rods are preferably inserted loosely in brackets or the like, permitting adjusting of the relative positions of the guide rods to correspond with adjustments or variations in the needles of the stringing machine. In order to feed the hemmed portions of the bag making material to the guide rods flexible guide members, preferably in the form of wires connected to the respective guide rods, are provided over which the edges of the continuous web of fabric are folded and stitched to initially form the hems. These guide wires pas over the cloth folding member and, as previously stated, each is connected to its respective guide rod at a location beyond the cloth folding member and prior to the bag reversing mechanism.

For the purpose of illustration the invention will be described with reference to a, bag making machine similar to the one disclosed in my Patent No. 2,313,433, dated March 9, 1943, but with the label inserting mechanism eliminated and a supporting bracket for the guide rod mounted at a corresponding location; that is to say, intermediate the cloth folding mechanism and the bag severing mechanism, although it will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to use for this particular form of bag making machine.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view largely diagrammatic in character, showing a bag making machine of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,313,433, equipped with a simple form of my hem controlling mechanism, and showing also a fragmentary portion of a bag stringing machine;

Figs. 2, 2a and 2b are diagrammatic views on a larger scale than Fig. 1 illustrating the progress of the web through the making machine, Fig. 2a illustrating a preferred form of hem controlling mechanism permitting adjustment of the guide rods;

Figs. 3 and 3a are horizontal plan views on a larger scale than Fig. l of the making machine equipped with the preferred form of hem controlling mechanism, Fig. 3. illustrating the operation of the machine up to and including the hem controlling mechanism and Fig. 3a disclosing the remaining portion of the making machine, including the bag severing and bag hemming mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation on a larger scale than any of the preceding views, showing the preferred form of guide rod holding and adjusting bracket;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing the guide rods shifted slightly from the position shown in Fig.7;

Figs. 9 and 10 are elevations showing the preferred form of guide rod holding bracket, looking from opposite edges of the bag forming web, as illustrated in Fig. 20.;

Fig. 11 is a section on line I I-I I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 12 is a section on line I2--I2 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the bag making web taken on line I3I'3 of Fig. 2a, showing the hem controlling guide rods therein;

Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are respectively front, side and rear elevations of a slightly modified form of guide rod supporting and hem controlling mechanism;

Figs. 17 and 18 are respectively front and side views showing the form of guide bracket illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring first to Fig. 1, in which the bag making machine is diagrammatically shown and the bag making operation illustrated, A represents a table top upon which the principal portions of the mechanism are mounted. Parts of the machine may be compactly arranged along three sides of the table with two horizontal changes in direction of the bag making material indicated, the continuous Web of bag making material moving first along one edge of the table during which period the initial stitching and folding operations are performed, after which the web changes direction and moves at right angles to the first direction of movement until it reaches a knife mechanism which severs the material to form individual bag making blanks, which are then moved parallel to the initial movement of the web during which movement the blanks are stitched along their edges with the stitching interconnecting successive blanks, the completed bags being in chain formation and preferably being passed directly to a bag stringing machine, the initial bag guide portion of which is indicated at 2:3 3 and the stringing needle at 22!, which stringing machine maybe of the type disclosed in my application Serial No. 792,793, filed December 19, 1947, now Patent No. 2,565,495, dated August 28, 1951, or in my Patent No.

- 2,296,783. The arrangement of the parts of the machine upon the table is largely a matter of convenience and may be varied as desired without departing from the invention in its broadest aspects.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, a continuous web of bag making material M may be drawn from a roll located below the level of the table A, which Web passes first vertically upward to a guide roller 50 and then in a horizontal direction past a pair of preliminary folders I, I, located at opposite sides of the web which serve to partially fold over the longitudinal edges of the material, after which the web passes to a second pair of folders 2, 2, which complete the edge folding operation prior to hemming or sewing. The folded over edge portions of the Web are suitably stitched by means of sewing machines portions of which are indicated at 4, 4, of any suitable or conventional type, which apply stitches to the folded portions forming stitched hem portions 5 along the side edges of the Web. After the stitching operation the hemmed material passes beneath a guide roller 6 and thence upwardly to a second guide roller '5 over which the material passes to a V-shaped folding device 6 which doubles the material over on itself, leaving one edge closed and the opposite edge open. The open edge includes the two hemmed portions 5 which now form the mouth portion of the completed bag, whereas the closed or folded edge constitutes the bottom. The folded material then passes beneath a guide roller 9 which is set at right angles to the roller I and the material then passed in a horizontal plane along the front edge of the table in a direction at right angles to that in which it was moving during the hem forming and folding operations.

The bag making material then passes between feed rollers 29 which serve to continuously advance the material, after which the material is engaged by a yieldingly mounted take-up device 3I prior to passage between intermittent feed rollers 32 which present the bag making material at proper intervals to a knife 33 which cuts the material into successive spaced bag forming portions or blanks B, as more fully described and set forth in my Patent No. 2,313,433.

After the severing operation the spaced blanks are individually moved at right angles to the previous direction of movement by means of a blank feeding head 34 to suitable sewing machines 35 which stitch the sides of the successive blanks and at the same time form a continuous chain of stitched bags,

The parts above described are or may be of known construction in bag making machines and may be similar to those described in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,313,433, with the elimination of the label inserting mechanism which is not included in the present disclosure.

In accordance with the present invention a pair of relatively stiff elongated guide rods I00, to which are connected relatively flexible guide wires HM, IIlI, are carried, preferably by means of a suitable bracket indicated at C located at a position intermediate the folding device 8 and the bag severing mechanism 33, which position roughly approximates the position of the label inserting mechanism of my prior Patent No. 2,313,433.

The function of the guide rods I00 is to properly position the two hemmed portions 5 of the viding for relative adjustment of the guide rods. both the mouth portions of the completed bags may be simultaneously adjusted so that the needles of the bag stringing machine will accurately engage the hemmed mouth portions of each successive bag during the subsequent stringing operation.

The function of the wires IIII is to guide the folded-over edges 5 of the cloth to and over the rods I06. With this purpose in view the ends I02 of wires IIJI remote from the rods I III! are supported by any suitable means, such as brackets or clips I63 carried by preliminary folders I, and the two wires extend parallel to one another on opposite sides of the advancing web within the opposite folded-over edges 5 of the moving web until they reach the V-shaped folder 8, when the wires approach each other during the web folding operation as they and the web pass over the member 8 during such folding operation, and then the wires run parallel to each other within the adjacent hem portions 5 to the point of attachment of the wires to the rods I adjacent supporting bracket member at position C, which bracket is suitably mounted on the frame of the machine in such position that the guide rods I013 supported thereby will be in alignment with the hemmed edges of the bag making material, which hemmed edges pass from the guide wires IIII onto the guide rods IOIJ in passing through properly aligned jaws or grooves of the bracket member.

The function of the supporting bracket is to properly locate the guide rod IIlil and the hemmed edges of the continuously moving web passing over the guide rods. The bracket preferably includes an upright rear portion which serves as a rear abutment to guide the hemmed edges of the moving web and for the rods extending therethrough. The bracket also include a horizontal supporting member or plate which extends between the upper and lower layers of the folded web, and also includes upwardly and downwardly extending abutments which, together with the rear abutment, coact to suitably align and locate the hemmed edges of the bag making web and consequently of the completed bag.

The preferred form of bracket is generally indicated by the reference character 0" in Figs. 2a, 3, l, '7, 8, 9 and 10. In these figures the rear abutment is designated I04, the horizontal plate which separates the upper and lower layers of the folded web is designated I95, and the upwardly and downwardly extending abutments are designated IIJ B and I91, which last named abutments coact with the rear abutment I04 to align and locate the hemmed edge of the bag making web. Similar features are included in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 16 and generally designated C.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention C" and also in the modification C the abutments I35 and It! form parts of spring pressed jaws I03 and we carried by the upright frame portion of the bracket, while in a simpler form C shown in Figs. 1, l7 and 13, the rear guide I84,

the partition m5 and the abutments I I15 and III? are all rigidly mounted and are formed by grooving the upright portionof the bracket to provide separate holders for the guide rods IE3!) and for the hemmed edges 5 of the web M while passing over the guide rods I09 attached to the ends of the wires IE) I.

In the preferred form of bracket C" and also in the modification C the jaws I98 and I09 are preferably pivotally mounted on an upright portion I I9 of the supporting bracket and are yieldingly and adjustably supported at a predetermined distance apart, which distance may be varied as desired. Finger pieces III and H2 may be provided to open the jaws to permit initial insertion or subsequent removal of the rods In the preferred embodiment C" there is also provided means for relatively adjusting the two guide rods in the hems of the upper and lower layers of the folded web in the planes of their respective layers, as may be desirable to compensate for variations in the positioning of the stringing needles of the stringing machine. As shown, this is accomplished by making the lower jaw I69 carried by the upright member III] of the supporting bracket laterally adjustable in a horizontal direction with reference to the upper jaw I88. This adjustment may be accomplished by any suitable means as, for example, by the use of an adjusting handle I I3 threadedly mounted at H4 in upright III! and coacting with an upright member II5 pivotally connected at its upper end IIB to the jaw I09 and at its lower end I I I to an arm I I8 carried by the upright I III.

In operation the bag making web passes as usual from the supply roll to the successive edge folding members I, I and 2, 2 and the stitching needles of the sewing machines 4, 4 Where the bag hems are stitched over the guide Wires IIII, IBI, after which the web with its hemmed edges enclosing the wire IOI continues to moveover the folder 8 and thence to the parallelguide rods I00, I00, carried by one of the forms of bracket C, C or C" herein described, or any similar device for floatingly supporting the guide rods. In each form of bracket the positioning of the guide rods I00, I00, and consequently the relative positioning of the hemmed edges 5 of the bag making material is accurately controlled so that when the bag making web reaches the severing means the upper and lower hemmed edges 5 which, together, form the hemmed mouth portion of the completed bag, will likewise be accurately controlled. With the preferred form of invention relative adjustment of the guide rods I00, I60 and of the hems passing thereover is provided for as will be apparent from a comparison of Figs. 7 and 8. V In this manner the hemmed mouth portions of bags coming from the making machine may be made to conform to the positioning of the stringing needles 2i3l of the particular stringing machine to which the bags from the making machine are successively supplied.

The invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration but it will be obvious that numerous modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In the making of tobacco bags and the like having hemmed mouth portions adapted to receive drawstrings, said method including forming turned over hemmed portions along opposite edges of a continuously moving web, folding the material lengthwise to bring the hemmed portions adjacent one another, then cutting the web into sections to form individual bags, and subsequently completing the bag by stitching along the side edges of the individual bags, the improvement which comprises controlling the relative positions of opposed hemmed mouth portions of the completed bag to facilitate string- '7 ing, by passing the opposed hemmed mouth portions of' the bag making material over a pair of parallel elongated guide members, after folding the web but prior to severing the web material into individual bags.

2.. In the making of tobacco bags and the like having hemmed mouth portions adapted to receive drawstrings, said method including forming turned over hemmed portions along opposite edges. of a continuously moving web, folding the material lengthwise to bring the hemmed portions adjacent one another, then cutting the web into sections to form individual bags, and subsequently completing the bag by stitching along the side edges of the individual bags, the improvement which comprises controlling the relative positions of opposed hemmed mouth portions of the completed bag to facilitate stringing, by passing the opposed hemmed mouth portions of the bag making material over a pair of parallel elongated guide members, after folding the web but prior to severing the web material into individual bags, and adjusting the guide members relative to one another;

3. In the making of tobacco bags and the like having hemmed mouth portions adapted to receive drawstrings, said method including forming turned over hemmed portions along opposite edges of a continuously moving web, folding the material lengthwise to bring the hemmed portions adjacent one another, then cutting the web into sections to form individual bags, and subsequently completing the bag by stitching along the side edges of the individual bags, the improvement which comprises controlling the relative positions of opposed hemmed mouth portions of the completed bag to facilitate stringing, by passing the opposed hemmed mouth portions of the bag making material over a pair of parallel elongated guide members, after folding the web but prior to severing the web material into individual bags, and adjusting the guide members relative to one another in a horizontal plane.

4. In the making of tobacco bags and the like having hemmed mouth portions adapted to receive drawstrings, said method including forming turned over hemmed portions along opposite edges of a continuously moving web, folding the material lengthwise to bring the hemmed portions adjacent one another, then cutting the web into sections to form individual bags, and subsequently completing the bag by stitching along the side edges of the individual bags, the improvement which comprises controlling the relative positions of opposed hemmed mouth portions of the completed bag to facilitate stringing, by passing the opposed hemmed mouth portions of the bag making material over a pair of parallel elongated guide members, after folding the web but prior to severing the web material into individual bags, and adjusting one of the guide members relative to the other in a horizontal plane to compensate for variations in the position of the stringing needles of a stringing machine operating upon the completed bags.

5. For use with a tobacco bag making machine wherein bag making material in web form is hemmed along opposite edges, folded lengthwise to bring the hemmed edges adjacent one. another, after which the web is severed to produce individual bag blanks, and the blanks sewed along their sides to produce bags ready for stringing, said machine including successive hem folding and stitching means, web folding means, blank severing means, and means for advancing the web from a supply roll. to the severing means; a pair of parallel: guide rods arranged. to enter the opposed hemmed mouth portions of themoving web subsequent. to folding but prior to severing. the web into: individual. bag. blanks, means carried by the machine intermediate the bag folding means and the severing means fioatingly supporting the parallel guide rods in substantially the same vertical plane, and flexible strands connected to the guide rods and extending from a portion adjacent the hem folders for directing the hems onto said guide rods.

6. For use with a tobacco bag making machine wherein bag making material in web form is hemmed along opposite edges, folded lengthwise to bring the hemmed edges adjacent one another, after' which the web is severed to produce individual bag blanks, and the blanks sewed along their sides to produce bags ready forstringing, said machine including successive hem folding and stitching means, web folding means, blank severing means, and means for advancing the web from-a supply rollto the severing means; a pair of parallel guide rods arranged to enter the opposed hemmed mouth portions of the moving web subsequent to folding but prior to severing the web into individual bag blanks, means carried by the machine intermediate the bag folding means and the severing means floatingly supporting the guide rods in substantially the same vertical plane, and wires arranged to guide the hemmed mouth portions onto said rods.

7. For use with a tobacco bag making machine wherein bag making material in web form is hemmed along opposite edges, folded lengthwise to bring the hemmed edges adjacent one another, after which the web is severed to produce individual bag blanks, and the blanks sewed along their sides to produce bags ready for stringing, said machine including successive hem folding and stitching means, web folding means, blank severing means, and means for advancing the web from a supply roll to the severing means; a pair of parallel guide rods arranged to enter the opposed hemmed mouth portions of the moving web subsequent to folding but prior to severing the web into individual bag blanks, means carried by the machine intermediate the bag folding means and the severing means floatingly supporting the parallel guide rods in substantially the same vertical plane, flexible strands connected to the guide rods and extending from a portion adjacent the hem folders for directing the hems onto said guide rods, and means for adjusting said rods in relation to each other.

8. For use with a tobacco bag making machine wherein bag making material in web form is hemmed along opposite edges, folded lengthwise to bring the hemmed edges adjacent one another, after which the web is severed to produce individual bag blanks, and the blanks sewed along their sides to produce bags ready for stringing, said machine including successive hem folding and stitching means, web folding means, blank severing means, and means for advancing the web from a supply roll to the severing means; a pair of parallel guide rods arranged to enter the opposed hemmed mouth portions of the moving web subsequent to folding but prior to severing the web into individual bag blanks, means carried by the machine intermediate the bag folding means and the severing means fioatingly supporting the parallel guide rods in substantially the same vertical plane, flexible strands connected to the guide rods and extending from a portion adjacent the hem folders for directing the horns onto said guide rods, and means for moving one of said rods transversely relative to the other in the plane of the moving wei 9. For use v 'th a tobacco bag making machine, wherein bag r=. king material in web form is hemmed along opposite edges, folded lengthwise to brin the hemmed edges adjacent one another, after which the web is reversed to pro duce individual bag blanks, and the blanks sewed at their sides to produce bags ready for stringing, said machine including successive hem folding and stitching means, web folding means, blank severing moans, means for advancing the web from a supply roll to the severing means; the improvement comprising a bracket carried by the machine intermediate the bag folding means and the severing means, and having a slot therein extending in the direction of the line of travel of the folded web through which slot the hemmed edges are adapted to pass, a pair of hem guide rods loosely carried in said slot and hem wires connected to th guide rods and extending from the hem folders for guiding the heme onto said guide rods.

10. For use with a tobacco bag making ma chine, wherein bag making material in web form is hemmed along opposite edges, folded lengthwise to bring the hemmed edges adjacent one another, after which the web is reversed to produce individual bag blanks, and the blanks sewed at their sides to produce bags ready for stringing, said machine including successive hem folding and stitching means, web folding means, blank severing means, means for advancing the Web from a supply roll to the severing means; the improvement comprising a bracket carried by the machine intermediate the bag folding means and the severing means, and having a slot therein extending in the direction of the line of travel of the folded web through which slot the hemmed edges are adapted to pass, a pair of hem guide rods loosely carried in said slot and hem wires connected to the guide rods and extending from the hem folders for guiding the heme onto said guide rods, and spacing means within said slot separating said rods.

11. For use with a tobacco bag making machine, wherein bag making material in web form is hemmed along opposite edges, folded lengthwise to bring the hemmed edges adjacent one another, after which the web is reversed to produce individual bag blanks, and the blanks sewed at their sides to produce bags ready for string ing, machine including successive hem folding and stitching means, web folding means, blank severing means, means for advancing the web from a supply roll to the severing means; the improvement comprising a bracket carried by the machine intermediate the bag folding means and the severing means, and having a slot therein extending in the direction of the line of travel of the folded web through which slot the hemmed edges are adapted to pass, a pair of hem guide rods loosely carried in said slot and hem wires connected to the guide rods and extending from the hem folders for guiding the hems onto said guide rods, and means for moving one of said rods relatively to the other in the plane of the moving web.

BERTIE C. GOLDEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Sept.16, 1935 

